


YOUNG SOUNDS

by kurgaya



Series: LINGUA [4]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Deaf Character, Families of Choice, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-11
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2019-08-22 05:00:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16591298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kurgaya/pseuds/kurgaya
Summary: Kurenai is about as undressed as Kakashi is when he opens the door. The only people awake at such an hour are shinobi or newborn babies, so it’s not such a stretch for Kurenai to be up. What is a surprise is that she’s at their door halfway across the village, wearing mismatched clothes and her hair askew, carrying a basket for the baby blinking almost as unseeingly as Gai.Kakashi,she mouths, unable to sign with little Mirai occupying her hands. Her expression is one of two-hours sleep and apology. Mirai is grasping upwards at her mother’s hair, blissfully oblivious to the two worried adults around her - three, as Gai tumbles into the room.[Deaf!Kakashi AU. Set in some vague time just after Pain's invasion].





	YOUNG SOUNDS

**Author's Note:**

> The deaf parents/aunts/uncles I've met were thrilled when a deaf child was born into the family. Kakashi's finally getting there!! I'm proud of him. Also my love for Kakashi/Gai bled through. I ain't even mad.
> 
> With thanks to aaizoro for checking this over for me :)

His chakra fizzling across his skin startles Kakashi awake. Someone is trying to get into the apartment. The wards on Gai’s front door _ping!_ in time with his chakra; not a forced-entry, then, but a repetition of somebody’s chakra clashing up against the lightning-affinity of the seal. Kakashi set the wards when he moved in two months ago, but this is the first time they’ve disturbed him during the night. He’s up and crossing the room in slippers long before Gai groans awake; he throws on a gown and ties a small bandana around his face in lieu of a mask. Then he turns on the light to see Gai blinking blearily, head cocked at what must be an incongruent, unexpected sound. Kakashi leaves him to wake up and slips out into the corridor. Chakra-based alarms are much more efficient than ears.

Kurenai is about as undressed as Kakashi is when he opens the door. The only people awake at such an hour are shinobi or newborn babies, so it’s not such a stretch for Kurenai to be up. What _is_ a surprise is that she’s at their door halfway across the village, wearing mismatched clothes and her hair askew, carrying a basket for the baby blinking almost as unseeingly as Gai.

 _Kakashi_ , she mouths, unable to sign with little Mirai occupying her hands. Her expression is one of two-hours sleep and apology. Mirai is grasping upwards at her mother’s hair, blissfully oblivious to the two - three, as Gai tumbles into the room - worried adults around her. At Gai’s appearance, Kurenai immediately starts to babble an explanation, speaking too fast for Kakashi to follow through lip-reading alone. He catches something about the baby but not a lot else, but Kurenai’s wobbling lip and wet eyes do nothing to set him at ease.

Gai guides her to the sofa.

//Coffee// Kakashi signs, not meaning it as a question. Kurenai is an avid caffeine-consumer and Gai keeps a box of coffee aside for her visits. Pregnancy vastly restricted the amount of coffee she could drink and she wasn’t shy about complaining about it. She’s also not shy about the amount she drinks now; she’s probably drunk more coffee since Mirai was born than she has in her whole life.

//I’ll take her// Kakashi adds, gesturing for the baby. Before Mirai, his experience with babies had been _zilch_. Now that she’s two months old, he still wouldn’t say he has any experience, but carrying her into the kitchen to make coffee is the least he can do. Kurenai certainly appreciates having her hands free from time-to-time, and she signs ‘THANK-YOU’ despite looking seconds away from tears.

Luckily for Kakashi, the basket provides a safe place for Mirai to lie. He settles it on the kitchen table and fusses at her for a moment, unable to resist. There’s no one around to see him pulling silly faces except Mirai, and she can barely see him. He’s finally met someone whose eyesight is worse than his, so he’s going to lord it over her for as long as he can.

He leaves her be to put the kettle on, and when he pops back over, her face is scrunched in distress. Her tiny legs are kicking beneath the blankets. Kakashi’s heart seizes. He’s never wanted children and, truth be told, babies absolutely mystify him, but Mirai is small and helpless and she’s Kurenai’s daughter - Asuma’s daughter. She’s practically Kakashi’s niece. Only two months she’s been in this world, and there’s already a huge, extended family who’ll do anything for her. He can't help but want her to be safe and happy and loved.

//Don’t worry, I’m not far// he assures, debating whether to scoop her out of the basket. It’d be a faff getting her back in and he only needs to pour the coffee before they can return to Kurenai. He decides against it. Instead, he tells Mirai his plan and then turns away to execute it; and when he turns back with a tray laden with mugs, Gai is there.

Kakashi raises the tray up in greeting, wondering if he’ll ever have use of his hands tonight. Gai bee-lines straight for Mirai, peering over the basket with an unusually intense concentration for someone looking at a baby. He makes noises at her - or cooing, or words, it’s all the same to Kakashi - and seems to wait for a reply. It’s endearing - and kind of crazy. Mirai is two months old; the best she can do is startle or quiet at familiar voices. (Kakashi doesn’t know what _that’s_ like either, but he’s read books. All of these sounds must be weird for Mirai, too).

//I’ve called for Lady Tsunade// Gai says, still looking grim.

Kakashi almost drops the tray. _What for?_ he wants to ask, looking between Gai and Mirai. He can't see anything wrong with her and she doesn't appear to be in pain; unless it's _Kurenai_ who's ill. He almost hopes so. Mirai would cry if something was wrong and he'd have no idea.

Gai shakes his head as though debating to himself. He gestures _come on_ and then gathers up Mirai’s basket before elaborating. That they both now have their hands full forces the conversation to continue back in the front room. Gai sets Mirai down beside her mother and then plonks himself onto the floor. Bewildered, and with a rising sense of dread, Kakashi puts down the tray and seats himself next to Gai. There’s an armchair free, but Tsunade might want it when she arrives - assuming she’s up for trekking across the ruins of the village at maybe three o’clock in the morning.

Finally, _finally_ , Kakashi can ask, //What’s going on?//

Gai and Kurenai glance at each other. Kurenai has a box of tissues in her lap.

//There is reason to believe that young Mirai may be deaf// Gai replies, and as he looks at Kakashi, his expression is a bizarre mix of hope and dread. Kurenai wrings a tissue in her hands, her face red and tear-streaked. She looks guilty and scared, and she watches Mirai wiggle in the basket with a watery smile. Everything about her body language is overwhelmed. No wonder she came rushing here, to Kakashi, to the only deaf person she knows. Her daughter being _deaf_ is something she never would have imagined: Kakashi never even imagined it, and he’s been hoping to find other deaf shinobi for his entire life.

//The Lady Tsunade will be able to confirm// Gai continues, signing ‘HOKAGE’ in place of her name. Tsunade has spent the last two months recovering from a coma and preparing the village for war, but her expertise is second to none. Hopefully she isn’t too grumpy about the hour.

//What reason?// Kakashi asks, shuffling closer to Mirai. He has to kneel up over the sofa to see her in the basket; she’s preoccupied with something and doesn’t react to his movement. It isn’t until Kakashi wags his fingers over the basket that she fixes her attention on him, chubby face wobbling into something like a smile. She reaches up, trying to bat his fingers with her pudgy, little fist. Kakashi lets her, looking over to Kurenai for an answer.

//She doesn’t react to noises// Kurenai explains. She signs slowly, concentrating. Konohan Sign Language didn’t come naturally to her when she was learning; Gai picked it up out of sheer stubbornness, but it was Asuma who had the least trouble. Kakashi thinks back on those lessons fondly. He may even teach Mirai; _that’ll be the whole Sarutobi set_ , he thinks, smiling at the memory of Naruto trying to show Konohamaru some basic signs. He tries not to look _too_ pleased as he wrestles Mirai for his finger, but he can’t help it. A deaf child is nothing to be sad about.

Kurenai dabs her face with the tissue, definitely _upset_. //She doesn’t calm when I talk to her. She makes sounds but she doesn’t - I don’t know.// She shakes her head, probably wondering why she’s explaining sound to a deaf man. Tears spill down her face; strands of her hair are stuck to her cheeks. //I’ve been worrying about it for weeks. I just don’t think she can hear me. I don’t know why I’m so worked up about this - it must seem crazy to you. I’m so sorry.//

Two years ago, Kakashi probably would’ve been just as upset as Kurenai. As a child, he didn’t care that he was deaf; it was a way to connect with his father, another way to see the world. But then his father died and left Kakashi in a society that didn’t care for him or his language, a system that refused to accommodate him. Being the only deaf shinobi in Konoha is lonely. There were times when he despised it. Months when he wanted to _hear_. But Konoha’s only deaf shinobi is who he is; it’s who he became. He joined Minato’s team; became friends with Gai, Asuma, and Kurenai; served with ANBU and met Tenzō; and finally found himself lumped with three wonderful brats who stood up for him as few else would. He’s Sharingan no Kakashi and he’s deaf.

He’s happy to be deaf. He can’t even _imagine_ the ruckus that Minato’s and Kushina’s son makes with sound.

It will be different for Mirai. She’s already surrounded by signers, family, and friends. She’ll never experience the damning ostracisation that Kakashi did - and by _god_ he is glad.

Kakashi shakes his head. //She’s your child. You’re worried, it’s okay. But come on, Kurenai, think about it. You know K-S-L. Most of the kids know K-S-L. I’m here. She’ll be fine, even if she’s deaf. I promise.//

The wards _ping!_ again. What can only be Tsunade’s chakra hits the door like a tidal wave. Gai shows her in. She is, out of everyone, the most dressed, unless one counts the two ANBU guards that accompany her. Neither enter the apartment. Tsunade nods at everyone in greeting as she settles in the lone armchair, signing ‘B-R-A-T’ at Kakashi instead of his name.

Gai doesn’t sit back down. He stands against the armrest nearest Kurenai, orientated to about two o’clock to Kakashi. On this left is Tsunade, and before him is the table, beside which Kakashi is sat. It’s ideal for interpreting and Kakashi smiles his thanks.

//Love you// Gai signs, because he’s a sap at every given opportunity.

//Who said that?// Kakashi fires back, indexing extravagantly. //Tsunade?//

Gai flusters, as expected. But instead of playing along with Kakashi’s joke, he signs with all his usual enthusiasm, //She does love you!//

Kakashi rolls his eyes and taps his head twice. //Idiot.//

Gai smiles and then startles; Kurenai passing little Mirai across his line of sight seems to remind him of the on-going conversation. He’s not cut-out for interpreting, really. Being involved in the conversation, offering advice, encouragement, and striking those ridiculous poses are all too important to him. Kakashi appreciates the effort, though.

“Let’s have a look at this little terror then,” Tsunade says. She uses ‘terror’ where everybody else would use ‘angel’. Neither of Mirai’s parents would particularly be considered _terrors_ , but maybe Tsunade’s unparalleled medical knowledge reveals something about Mirai that nobody else can see. It will certainly determine if she’s deaf, although Tsunade takes a moment to coo at Mirai before beginning the examination. She’s just too cute not to fuss over.

Gai offers no interpretation during the examination - but nothing is said. Kurenai fiddles with the tissue in her hands until it falls apart. Gai lays a hand on her shoulder and she clutches it desperately. Tsunade purses her lips and runs a gentle medical jutsu around Mirai’s head, protecting her eyes from the light with her free hand. Mirai, for her part, wiggles and fusses and tries to snatch Tsunade’s long, blond hair, but overall doesn’t seem particularly bothered by the testing. In fact, she grows tired as Tsunade works, her flailing slowing and her eyes struggling to stay open. Kakashi understands that feeling all too well. In just a few, short hours, he’ll be reporting to the Hokage’s office for duty, and if there aren’t any missions to run, then he’ll be back to patrolling the demolished village as usual.

“Well,” Tsunade says at the end of the examination, tickling Mirai’s cheek. She hands the baby back to Kurenai, who looks as though she might be sick from nerves. Tsunade’s expression is the gentle, _too_ gentle look of someone about to break unwanted news. She says something else (and Kakashi can imagine _what_ ), but he can’t read it from her lips. No one is signing, although Gai is trying to tug his hand away to do so.

Kurenai nods slowly, visibly stunned. She wipes away the last of her tears just as Gai frees himself from her iron grip. She doesn’t register his struggle, too intent on her daughter’s happy (but noticeably sleepy) fussing in her arms. Tsunade keeps talking, laying down the facts, but it's Gai that Kakashi turns to for information.

//Deaf?// he asks, unable to wait. He signs it twice more before Gai’s mind has managed to process the modality switch.

//Deaf// Gai confirms. He doesn’t smile.

Neither does Kakashi, but only because he could cry from the sheer _joy_ of it all.

“Profound, I’d wager,” Tsunade adds, patting Kurenai’s hands. ( _Please don’t_ , Kakashi would interject, were anyone paying him any attention). “But otherwise happy and healthy. _You_ , on the other hand, need to sleep. I’ll be round first thing to answer any questions you have - don’t argue with me; it’s late, you’re tired, _I’m_ tired. Gai’s signing is the sloppiest I’ve ever seen it.”

She signs that last part herself, grinning like a shark. Gai blushes all the way up to his ears.

//Sorry love// he signs at Kakashi, batting woeful eyes. His blush trickles down his neck and chest too; Kakashi can see it through the deep ‘V’ of his _yukata_.

Kakashi shakes his head and points at Kurenai, more interested in the conversation than an apology.

Gai interprets: “But is there anything I should do now?”

“Like what?” Tsunade asks, looking mystified. She gives Kurenai’s hands a shake, up and down, up and down. “She’s still exactly the same baby she was ten minutes ago. I know this is a shock to you and I understand, but it’s not to her. She’s been deaf for _two_ _months_ \- I think she’s handling it quite well, don’t you?”

Mirai has fallen asleep, entirely content with her silent world. Kakashi wants to shuffle over and start signing at her right now, but he’ll suppose it’ll have to wait. She’s still _far_ too young to parse sentences and start copying individual signs; even fingerspelling will have to wait. Her chubby little hands will struggle with the finer movements for years to come, but the sooner they introduce KSL to her, the better.

There’s a whole community of deaf civilians who will be excited to meet her. Kakashi should introduce them before the war orders him back to the front-lines.

Tsunade leaves after a brief round of questioning, promising to return in the morning. Kurenai has finally stopped crying for long enough to drink her coffee, although she drinks it automatically, still watching Mirai sleep. Gai gathers up the remaining cups and retreats into the kitchen, and Kakashi follows to give the mother and daughter some space.

//You okay? You looked almost as sad as Kurenai.//

Gai’s expression pinches. _Well_ , Kakashi thinks, _that was definitely the wrong thing to say._

//I’m sorry// Gai says - it’s his most-used sign after ‘RIVAL’. //Forgive me if I’ve upset you.//

//Me? I’m not upset.// Although Kakashi’s certainly getting the impression that he _should_ be. Between Kurenai’s crying and Gai’s lack of exuberance, someone might as well have just _died_. It’s not too difficult to understand the lack of cheer. Hearing is a sense that the vast majority of people can’t imagine how to live without. Kakashi would be just as shaken if somebody took his sight away. //You’re not deaf. You don’t have to be happy about this.//

Gai looks equal parts relieved and horrified at the suggestion, meaning Kakashi’s guessed it on one. His hands flash through ‘WAIT’, ‘WAIT’, stopping Kakashi in his tracks. //It’s not that I’m _not_ happy, I promise you. I am simply concerned about M-I-R-A-I. She will be fine, I know this. But I also know that many things haven't been easy for you. You have overcome many challenges and it is admirable, but - //

//Stop, stop.// Kakashi’s fingers close together, snapping down. //It won't be like that for her. I won't let it be like that for her. I'd rather - //

‘DIE’ is the sign that falls apart on his hands. His father once thought that, many years ago. _I want you to be happy_ , Sakumo had signed just days before his death. Kakashi knows what it’s like to be the only deaf shinobi in the village, the only native KSL-user among his peers.

//I’d rather go through it again// he decides - because _that_ is true; he hates it but it’s Mirai and she’s deaf and it’s _true_. //Than put her through a childhood like that. It’s just - _don’t cry_ , Gai, dammit - //

//I won’t// Gai insists, starting to blubber. //I won’t.//

//You will -!// Kakashi cuts himself off as Gai steps in for a hug. He’s so stupidly _sad_ that there’s nothing Kakashi can do but accept it, wrapping his arms up around Gai’s shoulders, brushing his fingers through the back of his chopper, bowl-cut hair. It’s getting a little long at the back. Kakashi twirls the hair between his fingers, huffing at Gai’s bone-crushing hug. Gai used to be gentle - he still is, even now; he’s never hurt Kakashi and he never will, but he used to be far more gentle than this. It used to scare him, is Kakashi’s theory, that to be intimate means finding times when they cannot converse through use of their hands. Gai isn’t shy about tactile affection. He’d hang off of Kakashi’s shoulders in a full-body hug if he could. But hugging involves crossing each other’s signing space - and other things involve more.

Gai presses a kiss into Kakashi’s neck, just underneath his flower-printed mask. Kakashi tips his head in encouragement, still running his fingers through Gai’s hair. He could yank Gai away in a second; throw him halfway across the kitchen in two. Signs are not the only way to communicate; words are not the only way to say _no_.

Or _yes_. Or _Kurenai’s in the front room with a baby and we shouldn’t snog out here_.

He pats a ‘there, there’ gesture onto Gai’s head. Gai’s laughter is hot air against his neck. Kakashi shivers all the way down to his toes.

Kurenai poking her head around the doorway dashes any of his more amorous thoughts. Gai can probably feel Kakashi’s heart hammering with embarrassment, but he doesn’t let go. Kurenai just inches in like a mouse - as though Kakashi can’t see her in his periphery - and sets the empty coffee mug on the corner of the table.

Kakashi rolls his eyes and waves to catch her attention. //S-T-A-Y// he signs against Gai’s back. He points further into the apartment. //S-L-E-E-P//.

Kurenai _finally_ smiles. So does Gai, pulling away to finish with the dishes. He presses a big, wet kiss into Kakashi’s cheek as he does, earning himself a mouthful of fabric and a half-hearted glare.

//You’re too good to us. I don’t know how to thank you// Kurenai says, eyes twinkling. Mirai might inherit her ruby red eyes, and one day they’ll see. Hopefully, they’ll both be visiting more often once this damned war is over and Mirai can sign at a world filled with peace.

//I could be the favourite uncle?// Kakashi suggests.

Kurenai laughs. //You might have to fight our students for that position.//

//Oh please, I’m deaf// says Kakashi; ‘PLEASE’ and ‘THANK-YOU’ are identical in sign, but he mouths ‘please’ with enough sarcasm that she cannot mistake it. He mirrors Kurenai’s placement of Team 8 and Team 10 in the signing space, indexing them all. //I’ll win, no contest.//

He sees Gai pull a victory stance out of the corner of his eye.

//Thank you// Kurenai signs; a tap against her chin and then sweeping downwards. //I'm sorry for turning up so late. Especially in such a state. Asuma would be embarrassed.//

Asuma wouldn't have been seen _dead_ running around Konoha half-dressed, so he definitely _would_ be embarrassed. Kakashi tries to word that more gently while maintaining the sentiment; Asuma is still a raw wound for them all.

//It's nothing we haven't seen before, Kurenai// he teases - meaning both her and Asuma. They've run some god-awful missions together, blood, dirt, and platonically-inappropriate levels of dress included, and Kurenai laughs, covering her mouth and her tear-red cheeks.

Gai ruins the mood by yawning like a whale, head tipped back so far that he nearly over-balances. It's almost dawn. They should all follow Mirai's example and sleep. Tomorrow is a new day of war preparations, training, and rebuilding the village. For Kurenai, it will be a day full of questions, and for Mirai, it will be another day as usual, busy and silent, and many more chances to grab her mother's hair.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment as you go :)


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